Mrs. Murray's Home by Emily-Jane Hills Orford (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

Mrs. Murray's Home

by 
Emily-Jane Hills Orford

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GENRE:   Middle Grade Fantasy

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BLURB:

Home is where the heart is, or so they say. It’s also been said that a home is a person’s castle. But home is also with family and friends. Mrs. Murray longs for home, the family home, a castle an ocean away. The Brownies also crave for home, the same castle Mrs. Murray considers home. And Granny? Mary’s Granny hasn’t been home since she was Mary’s age. It’s time to visit the homeland, Scotland. Mary’s excited to tag along with Granny, Mrs. Murray and the Brownies. And then there’s the witch. The one they thought they’d killed. And the treasure. The one they had found. And it all ties together, for better or for worse. Join the adventure in book 3 of the popular “Piccadilly Street Series”.

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EXCERPT

Yes, she was going to Scotland. It was a dream of hers to visit Scotland, the land of Brownies and grand storytelling. Her Granny was born in Glasgow and spent her early years visiting family in Kinross and at Blair Castle, the home of the Murray clan chief. That’s where they were headed: Blair Castle. Granny was taking Mary and their collection of Brownies, and, of course, the ghost, across the ocean. They were flying. Mary’s first airplane ride. Mary’s first visit outside of Canada. Mary’s first visit overseas. A lot of firsts. It was all very exciting.

           

The Brownies weren’t convinced. Neither was Mrs. Murray. And she was the ghost. They all wanted to go. It was their home. Or, at least it had been their home a long time ago. But flying? That was unnatural. It went against the laws of physics. It went against the laws of their magical powers, too. It was one thing to conjure up a spell and become invisible, or to grow bigger like Brunny did the first time he met Mary. Scared her, too. But that was months ago and the two were now fast friends.

“I can’t go,” a voice sobbed from somewhere underneath the growing piles of unpacked clothes. It was Briddie. “I just can’t go. Flying? No! I can’t!”

“We must, Briddie.” Brunny appeared near the folded pyjamas, Mary’s favorite pink ones.

“There is so much we have to resolve. And I want to see our cousins and Pelly’s son. Perhaps they have grandchildren. I want to know. Don’t you? Don’t you want to connect with our family and friends?”

“Yes, Brunny. But flying?” She peaked out from underneath the pyjamas. “I can’t go inside a metal cavern and allow it to take off into the air, thousands of feet off the ground. Once inside, there’s no escape. We’ll be stuck. Inside. Forever.”

“Just eight hours,” Mary interrupted. “And it’s overnight, so we can sleep the whole time. We’ll be there first thing in the morning.”

“No! No! No! It was bad enough getting on that boat and floating out into the deep, blue ocean. But flying over it? No! I can’t! I just can’t.”

Mary stood there watching the exchange. It was actually a little comical. This couple were the bravest people she had ever met, considering all their past adventures. They really weren’t people, though. They were Brownies. Little people. They lived between the walls and underneath the floors. Magical little people who once called Scotland their home. And they were old. Extremely old. Mary wasn’t sure how old, but they all talked of things they did three and four hundred years ago.

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. 

Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including Mrs. Murray’s Ghost: The Piccadilly Street Series Book 1 (Telltale Publishing 2018) which was named finalist in the 2019 N.N. Light Book Awards, Mrs. Murray’s Hidden Treasure: The Piccadilly Street Series Book 2 (Telltale Publishing 2019), Mrs. Murray’s Home: The Piccadilly Street Series Book 3 (Telltale Publishing 2020), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018) which won the 2019 N.N. Light Book Awards, King Henry’s Choice (Clean Reads 2019), and several other books. A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and the fantasies of dreams combined with memories. For more information on the author, check out her website.

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GIVEAWAY


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My review:

3.75 out of 5 stars

Mrs. Murray’s Home by Emily-Jane Hills Orford is part of ‘The Picadilly Street’ series and continues the story of young Mary, who is traveling with her grandmother to Scotland. Travelling with her Granny, their Brownies, and Mrs. Murray, their family ghost, they visit the family home, Blair Castle. Unfortunately, the reunion is not going to be the happy homecoming they anticipate, because things are not the way they should be, and who knows what it will take to find a way for them to join forces.

This children’s fantasy story features a brave young girl who has learned to accept fantastical creatures and surprisingly helpful ghosts. It’s possible to read this as a stand-alone but I think it would probably be better to have read one or two of the previous stories, so that one is more familiar with the Brownies, Mrs. Murray the ghost, and their intricate relationship with Mary and the rest of her family.

The airplane trip from Canada to Scotland is a novel experience for everyone, but the Brownies are very amusing (and not worried enough about discovery, lol) travelers. There are plenty of Gaelic names that Mary has evidently become adept at pronouncing, despite her fondness for using nicknames instead. Things are a little confusing for me, since the Brownies have their own hierarchical struggles going on, but evidently no contact with their relatives across the sea. There are magic and spells and multiplicities of Mrs. Murray ghosts, and intervention by someone who I don’t understand remaining in the background for so long if that kind of power was available.

This is a fun imaginative story that blends folklore, magic, and ghosts. There are occasional odd shifts in points of view for those who are concerned with such, and I’m bemused at the thought of getting into a car with someone who has no idea how to drive yet is being taught on the fly, lol, but there are plenty of entertaining elements and I am sure Mary will continue to have more exciting adventures with her unusual friends and companions.

A copy was provided for review